The present invention relates to a timepiece with mobile decorations.
In the prior art, the so-called "Karakuri" or puppet clock, in which puppets dance at the hour, is well known and has a variety of structures.
The puppet clock of the prior art has a complicated structure and is expensive so that it is hard to buy personally. Despite of this problem, however, the "Karakuri" have a deep-rooted popularity. Especially in recent years, a demand for joyful or surprising clocks is increasing.
An object of the present invention is to meet the demand and to provide at a reasonable price a clock having mobile decorations which can perform joyful motions at the hour.
In order to achieve the above-specified object, the timepiece with mobile decorations according to the present invention comprises: a roof disposed over a case body having a timepiece unit built therein; driving means to make said roof up and down while turning the same in response to a signal from the said timepiece unit; and mobile decorations disposed inside of the roof to operate and become visible from the outside while the roof is in a raised position.
The driving means of the roof may include a motor adapted to operate in response to the signal; a cylindrical member adapted to be rotationally driven by the motor and supported rotatably on the case body; a lead screw fitted so as to be nonrotatable but axially slidable relative to said cylindrical member and having its upper end portion connected to the roof; and a protrusion disposed in a fixed relation to the case body and meshing with the lead screw.